Two men who murdered e-bike riders after mistaking them for burglars jailed for life

Two men who murdered e-biker riders they mistook for burglars have been jailed for life.

Landscape gardener Alex Rose, 30, deliberately drove his black pick-up truck into William Birchard, 21, and Darren George, 22, while going the wrong way along a motorway slip road in Sunbury-on-Thames, Surrey. It followed a 60mph chase, with passenger Charles Pardoe, 25, next to him, after Rose had thought they were trying to burgle his home in Sunbury on 22 July last year.

But Guildford Crown Court heard they had not been "anywhere near" the property, and were instead on their way to a pub in Ashford. Rose was speaking to his girlfriend, Tara Knaggs, 25, on the phone throughout the chase.

Mr Birchard and Mr George drove their e-bike the wrong way round a roundabout and the wrong way down the M3/A316 slip road in an attempt to get away from the duo. Rose followed in his vehicle before driving into the back of the e-bike.

He then did a three-point turn before driving past the men lying on the tarmac. Their bodies were later found on the road by a lorry driver.

Mr Birchard died at the scene, suffering fractures to his skull, face and a severe brain injury. Mr George died later in hospital on the same day.

Jurors found Rose and Pardoe guilty earlier this month of two counts of murder. Rose was sentenced on Monday to life with a minimum of 34 years behind bars, while Pardoe was sentenced to life with a 29-year minimum term.

Knaggs, who was found guilty by the same jury of assisting the offender, was jailed for three years. A fourth defendant, Samuel Aspden, 25, another of Mr Rose's friends who had driven around the area in his own car that same evening, was cleared of both murder charges.

Mr Birchard's father said in a statement: "William was not just a victim of a senseless crime, he was our beloved son, a brother, and a friend to many. "His life was filled with promise, and his loss has left a gap that will never be filled.

"William had a kind heart, a bright smile, and a love for life that touched everyone who knew him.".